When you learn to scuba dive or come with us on leisure dives, safety and fun is always our top priority.
We take seriously the responsibility of your life and well being as our student or leisure diver. At the same time, we want you to have a great experience when you choose to dive with us.
Before any of our Instructors get the opportunity to teach you to scuba dive, or before any of our Divemasters get the opportunity to lead you on a leisure dive, we first of all have to feel comfortable in allowing our Instructors and Divemasters take care of our loved ones. That means, if we don’t trust our Instructors and Divemasters with our loved ones, they will not be qualified to teach or lead you.
Our Friendly Dive Team
Foong Lai Thong
Foong, affectionately known as Uncle Foong, Foong Sook or just Mr Foong, is the owner of BlueWaters Borneo Dive Tours. But don’t be surprised to see him leading dives or instructing scuba diving students because he really does enjoy being hands on with the day to day operations as well as meeting new friends. He is never happier than when he is in the water.
He loves to share his tips and experiences on how to be a better diver and always emphasize safety. He started diving in the days when divers wore front mounted BCs and masks that today would be labelled as “vintage”.
His love for diving and the sea started when in his younger days as a banker; he was transferred to the state of Terengganu and his home was just metres from the shore.
Hailing from Ipoh, Perak and growing up in Melaka, he has called Sabah home since 1992. He has been teaching students how to scuba dive since 1992, and in 1997, he formed Blue Waters Borneo Sdn Bhd, which has since evolved into BlueWaters Borneo Dive Tours Sdn Bhd. His passion for shipwreck exploration resulted in the establishment of Tec Rats specialising in technical diving.
Find Foong Lai Thong on Facebook.
PADI IDC Staff #63732, TDI Instructor #14906
Brenda Pladius
Brenda hails from Kota Kinabalu and is equally comfortable teaching students how to scuba dive and also handle a dual 250 HP trimaran boat (500HP combined). She is a qualified PADI Instructor.
Find Brenda on Facebook.
PADI Instructor #336891
Alan Gray
Alan has lived and worked in many places around the world and has dived in many of those places as well. But since arriving in Sabah in 2006, he has made it his second home.
He is an avid wreck diver and together with Foong, explore and document the wrecks off Gaya Island and Usukan Bay every chance they get.
You will almost always see Alan out at the islands on the weekends, either teaching students to be divers or bringing Discover Scuba Diver participants on their first experiences underwater.
In his past life, Alan works for an international engineering consultancy group as an engineer and project manager. He hails from Fulham (yes, it’s pronounced “Full Ham”. I kid! It’s really pronounced “foo-lum”) and is a qualified PADI Instructor and TDI Instructor.
Find Alan on Facebook.
PADI Instructor #496935, TDI Instructor